Meet Chris | Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chris and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chris, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
When dreaming up Champagne Tiger it was important to me to create a restaurant that was authentic. I wanted to work and eat in a place that I’d want to enjoy in a guest. Champagne Tiger brings together the attention to detail and dedication to quality ingredients of my fine dining background with the joy and energy of being a member of the Queer community. It’s a restaurant where people can trust that we are happy they’re here, we have taken the time and done the work to prepare their cocktails and food with care and intention and they can have a good time, laugh, yell, clap – be seen for who they are and celebrate with us.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve worked in restaurants since I was 14 years old – starting in a small local Deli, working at the Lake Yellowstone Hotel, running a high end Hotel restaurant, joining the Frasca Food & Wine Team and then helping expand Pizzeria Locale until 2022. My career has spanned many different types of restaurants which has shown me the core emotion that any people look for in a dining experience and that emotion is what we focus on at the diner. We work hard to create moments of joy, celebration and energy for our guests through food, beverage and performance art. Dining out should be fun!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We would head straight to Major Tom for champagne and oysters. Lady Jane for cocktails and Queer vibes. The Populous Hotel roof top to snack and take in some of the best views in the city. Tavernetta for multiple bowls of pasta. Botanical Gardens to explore the flower and beautiful grounds. Wander around Meow Wolf together for hours. And visiting the Clifford Still Museum is a must. Check out a show at the Fillmore and spend the afternoon walking around Colfax.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Many, many people deserve credit for the success of Champagne Tiger. The first person I always thank is my husband Jeff. His encouragement, support, patience and willingness to work a host shift when needed has made this all possible. Without him, I wouldn’t have written the original business plan and worked up the courage to start fundraising. The group of investors that came together and shared their knowledge and time with me is a big part of why we are here today. Without them we wouldn’t have had the capital to get up and running and without their insights we wouldn’t have made some of the smart decisions we made. The Denver Art Community is another big part of our success: Drag Queens, singers, musicians, DJs – without their creativity, joy and hard work our Sunday Drag Show wouldn’t be the amazing community event they have become, ‘Pasta & Piano’ night wouldn’t exist and a lot of the fun energy that Champagne Tiger captures wouldn’t be here. My team is the real cornerstone of the diner and without them we couldn’t function everyday – they’re level of dedication to providing a safe and inviting space that has quality at it’s foundation is inspiring and is what keeps me going. Their hunger for excellence pushes me to work harder everyday.

Website: https://www.champagnetiger.com

Instagram: https://champagne.tiger

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-e-donato/

Facebook: champagnetiger

Image Credits
Holden Kudlah